Wildcards Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans have continued their winning ways at Australian Open 2026, downing French 12th seeds Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 6-4 7-6(3).
The win propels them into the men's doubles semifinals, and two wins away from a coveted Grand Slam title.
“Thank you everyone for coming out tonight. At the end you guys really lifted us and we came out with some clutch points so big thanks to you guys, it was super special tonight,” Kubler said on court.
“Thank you for lifting us up, we needed support to get through that second set. Thank you for riding the wave with us and giving us the momentum to finish the match,” Polmans added.
It was a match won on serve, with the Aussie wildcards averaging 70 per cent of first serves in and winning 82 per cent of those points, including eight aces. This allowed the pair more freedom to be aggressive on return, which Kubler addressed after the match.
“As long as we serve well and keep holding our serves, I feel in the return games we’re eventually gonna combine and get a look,” he said.
In a highly entertaining match, the Aussies always had that little extra gear and a little more firepower than their opponents.
The Frenchmen, however, played a unique and impressive brand of tennis, both standing millimetres away from the net, particularly Reboul, who liked to incorporate the drop volley to end points.
Both teams created plenty of opportunities, but it was the Aussies that converted the only break of serve to close out the first set.
The second set was similarly tight with the French pair this time rewarded for their efforts by nabbing the break of serve.
This came after an incredible rally that featured a little bit of everything; Doumbia chased down a short Polmans volley to rip a forehand winner down the middle and steal a break to lead 6-5.
The Aussie pair broke straight back, however, forcing the set into a tiebreak.
Grabbing the match by the scruff of the neck, Kubler and Polmans stormed home, with Kubler serving ferociously and Polmans rock solid at the net plus hitting several difficult overheads from deep in the court -- skills Kubler praised after the match.
“For me it’s pretty simple. If I can help Marcy at the net and I’m anywhere on the court, I’m happy. I’m very comfortable when he’s there. I know he’s gonna do his part and probably a bit of mine as well,” he said.
“It’s been so easy for me to play with Marc. He just covers the net like no other so I’m super happy right now.”
Polmans, dutifully, returned the compliment.
“It’s pretty easy when this guy’s just ripping the hell out of the ball from the baseline. It’s been awesome playing with Jason,” he said.
“It’s our first time playing together. I’ve known Jason for a long time. He’s a great guy off the court so it was a very easy decision to team up with Jason this week and doing this in front of all my family and friends is extra special."
With fiancé Maddison Inglis cheering on from the sidelines, Kubler is keen to add more silverware to his trophy cabinet, which includes the AO 2023 men’s doubles title.
“Another Grand Slam title would be nice," he said. "But we’ll see, we’ve still got this match and then maybe one more. Hopefully we recover well, I think we have the day off tomorrow, so rest up work on some things and be ready for the next one."
They will next play the winners of the match between fourth seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, and Great Britain’s Luke Johnson and Poland’s Jan Zielinski, who play on Wednesday at Margaret Court Arena.